Cornstalk Festival to Saw Harp Festival…

The call came in, “Would you be Master of Ceremonies for the Saw Harp Festival?”

I was on the roof top with 13 wonderful people. Introducing Jessy to Laura, to Mike, to Lena, to Trevor, to Lacy, to Medicine for the People. This is the joy of bringing connection to loves. In my little world I was awash in blessings. They carried on words from we Cornstalkers. Cornstalk is a Festival of Peace, Art and Music in a cornfield of Minnesota. It is a convergence of Progressive Performers, and Rural Families. MC’ing the Cornstalk Festival is a pinnacle, a height, a place cherished. For Cornstalk has its foundation in the goodness of family, the wisdom of nature, and the need to share this experience through art.

And what can I tell you of the space between Progressive Artists (Portland, SF, LA, Sedona) and Local Families (Dunnell, Rural Minnesota).  This space is the unknown waters of culture, where you look across the boat and see a land covered by a dense fog, but I get closer, there are human forms, gentle. The magic is that they ask of you only yourself. All eyes are open and common people make common sense.

This was a zero waste festival, where the composting toilet was art. A night and day of MC’ing passed

and the hour of my solo-show The Fool Truth was at hand. I had rehearsed with Phrostie, on the Beat Box,  and Adolfo on the Bass, then just before show time I discovered Hope (Medicine for the People) on a hammock, she welcomed an invitation to perform and the 3 of them played a silken percussive landscape. The script was a rewrite and this was its debut. The new truths flowed from the fool truths like a new drink. I played on a circle of cement (with a mural Ariel designed in 09) the band rang from the freshly welded stage.

i want more than facebook freinds

i want grace and greatness for the misheard, and misshapen

i’d provoke not just cope so sick of behaving

Our human condition is in need of inscription

By dissecting and reflecting, never being a victim!

This is about loosening norms, about chaos and storms,

We all come here to get free, but how can we do it Sustainably?

The reflections from the crowd of family where overwhelming. So many positive comments. The rewrite and the music danced. The night roared forth. When the Scott family band played, the sonorous warehouse was tuned with hearts in harmony. The peace of family singing together is profound. But the father didn’t sing. Homer’s work was the very floor on which we stood. Once an old rusty silo was taken down and put in a shed. This silo was transformed into a truly rare and particular rustic beauty.

Hats off to Homer Scott, Bailey Scott and all the family! Still the stage alone was not enough. We all waited patiently for the final act of the Festival, Medicine for the People. The ride ranged from dancing wild, to sitting listening, to holding hands, to dancing wild again. Nahko lyrical mastery, diverse arrangements, and heart pulsing wisdom combine so smoothly with vocal harmonies, cajon beats, swift bass lines and slick horn licks…oh Medicine for the People. A call to action, a cry of truth. “The change begins with me and I reflect it back to you and you and you…”

Soon I was home in SF. Embracing Ariel and driving on 3 hours of sleep to Roaring Camp for the Saw Harp Festival.